Young Offenders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the change in the number of 10 to 14-year-olds  (a) convicted of and  (b) receiving a custodial sentence for burglary was between 1996 and 2009.

Claire Ward: The available information is shown in the following table. 2009 data are not yet available and will be published in the Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin "Sentencing statistics, England and Wales 2009", due for publication autumn 2009.
	
		
			  Number of 10 to 14-year-olds sentenced for burglary and sentenced to immediate custody for burglary by year, 1996-2008, England and Wales 
			  Number of offenders 
			   Total sentenced for burglary  Immediate custody for burglary 
			 1996 1,589 21 
			 1997 1,595 38 
			 1998 1,834 62 
			 1999 1,780 89 
			 2000 1,598 147 
			 2001 1,553 167 
			 2002 1,708 159 
			 2003 1,451 134 
			 2004 1,583 132 
			 2005 1,583 109 
			 2006 1,482 133 
			 2007 1,417 97 
			 2008 1,249 87 
			  Notes:  1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. These data have been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. These data are presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice Ref: PQ(JSAS)318494 (26/02/2010).